Trib HSSN girls basketball player of the week for Jan. 19, 2025

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Sunday, January 19, 2025 | 8:38 PM


Trib HSSN girls basketball player of the week – Rylee Kalocay

School – Upper St. Clair

Class – Senior

Height – 5-foot-9

Position – Guard

What coach says – “Rylee always stands out when we play,” Upper St. Clair coach Pete Serio said. “She is so good at getting to the rim and also being able to shoot the 3. She is a fierce competitor. Rylee is the entire package. She is the best player in Western Pennsylvania.

“At the beginning of the season, we were all concerned about how she would handle playing competitively again just eight months post-op,” Serio said of her coming back this season after a knee injury. “My only concern was I know how fearless she plays, so I was probably more worried than she was. I think after our first couple games she became more confident and more comfortable with being back out there.

“Rylee really worked her tail off in rehab. She is more fit now than she was before. I think she is a little quicker and can definitely jump higher. She was possessed to come back better than ever.

“Last year was a great experience for our other players,” Serio said. “They learned they can hold their own and are great players in their own right. I think Rylee saw the progress they made and she wanted to come back and help us become the best team we can be. Hopefully we continue to grow as second half begins and can be at our best for the postseason.”

#Earned – Kalocay has successfully come back from a torn ACL and meniscus in her left knee suffered in a game on Jan. 2, 2024. She has helped Upper St. Clair to first place in Section 2-6A with a 5-0 section record and 13-2 overall mark. On Monday, Kalocay suffered a black eye in a collision, but got the last laugh by scoring 31 points in a victory over rival Mt. Lebanon, 46-37. Two days later, the Panthers rolled past Connellsville by 40 points as the senior scored 22 points in limited action. Finally, in a nonsection matchup against Chartiers Valley on Saturday, Kalocay dropped 33 points in a 63-43 victory over the Colts to up the current USC win streak to nine in a row.

Background – The long rehab from her knee injury allowed Kalocay to visit more schools and this past September, and she made a commitment to continue her basketball career next season at Kent State. She was the 6A girls basketball player of the year and a member of the 2023 Trib 10 girls basketball all-star team following her sophomore season. This season, Kalocay has scored 335 points and is averaging 23.9 points per game, third highest in the WPIAL. As an 8-year old, Kalocay represented the Pittsburgh Pirates at the 2016 MLB All-Star game in San Diego and won the national championship in the Pitch, Hit and Run competition. She played softball until high school when she focused on AAU basketball.

2025 Trib HSSN Girls Basketball Players of the Week

Week 2 – Iyanna Wade, Clairton

Week 1 – Oumou ‘Mimi’ Thiero, Quaker Valley

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